An automated teller machine (ATM) is a computerized telecommunications device that provides a user with access to financial transactions in a public space without the need for a human clerk or bank teller. An ATM may be placed anywhere, such as, for example, near or inside the premises of a bank or in a location such as a shopping center, an airport, a grocery store, a gas station, a restaurant, or any place people may gather. Using an ATM, users can access their bank accounts in order to make cash withdrawals (or credit card cash advances) and check their account balances, for example.
Typically, the user is identified at an ATM by inserting a financial card, such as an ATM card, a credit card, or a debit card, into the ATM. The financial card may be a plastic card with a magnetic stripe or a plastic smartcard with a chip and contains a unique card number and information such as an expiration date and/or a card security code (also known as a card verification value). Authentication of the user is provided by the user entering a personal identification number (PIN) into a keypad of the ATM.
There are incidents of fraud where perpetrators attach fake keypads or card readers to existing ATMs and well as other point of sale (POS) terminals. Cameras are often deployed in conjunction with the fake keypads and card readers. These “skimming” devices are used to record users' PINs and financial card information in order to gain unauthorized access to the users' accounts.